DREAM

The Yokohoma Arena is set to host the upcoming DREAM 11 event which includes the semi-finals and finals of the DREAM Featherweight Tournament and the Semi-Finals of the DREAM Super-Hulk Tournament as well as Joachim Hansen defending his DREAM Lightweight Championship against Shinya Aoki.

DREAM has a history of putting on great MMA shows and they are always hard to predict with their tournament fights especially with a number of considerations to take in about the fighters, their condition and injuries that come along the way, last time I predicted for a DREAM tournament was the finals of the DREAM Welterweight Tournament where I chose Hayato Sakurai & Andre Galvao and neither advanced to the finals, feel free to agree or disagree with my picks and give any feedback guys.

Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 Reserve bout: Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Daiki Hata

Kazuyuki Miyata holds a 7-7 record and has faced some of the top names in the Lightweight Division today in Vitor Ribeiro, Kid Yamamoto & Joachim Hansen however has come up short in all of those bouts. The majority of his fights he has won via submission with five submissions, one knock out and one decision under his belt and is currently riding a two fight win streak with wins over Takeshi Yamazaki & Jae Hyuon So.

Daiki "DJ Taiki" Hata returns to DREAM with an 11-5-3 record and holds wins over Kenji Osawa, Yoshiro Maeda & Jameel Massouh with most of his fights ending in a decision or a knock out with five decisions, five knockouts and one submission to his name. At this point DJ Taiki has won four of his last five fights with his fight from DEEP 37 against Jong Man Kim being considered a draw.

DJ Taiki last competed at DREAM 8 in the opening round of the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix and defeated Hideo Tokoro however due to injury he was unable to continue in the tournament so Hideo Tokoro has to take his place and now is competing in the Semi-Finals against Hiroyuki Takaya later on this card.

Kazuyuki Miyata needs to go for a submission early on in this fight if he is to win, he can't afford to stand and strike with DJ Taiki because Taiki has much better hands and will likely get a knock out victory if it stays standing. DJ Taiki has never been finished in a fight with all five of his losses coming via Decision so that's one thing to heavily consider, the way I see this one going would be for Daiki Hata to used his advantage on the feet and keep it there, he has decent enough take down defense to keep it on the feet and should collect a KO victory in the first round.

Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Joe Warren

Bibiano Fernandes holds a 5-2 record with his only losses coming to top names in Urijah Faber & Kid Yamamoto, to date he has two submission and three decision victories to his name and is one of the favorites to win the entire Featherweight Tournament. Fernandes is currently riding a four fight win streak with his last two in the DREAM Featherweight Tournament over Takafumi Otsuka & Masakazu Imanari.

Joe Warren holds a 2-0 record, he entered the Featherweight Tournament with no fights under his belt and was considered a major underdog however after victories over two favorites in Chase Beebe & Kid Yamamoto he now considered a favorite to capture the DREAM Featherweight Championship.

This fight all comes down to whether Fernandes can get the Greco-Roman wrestling gold medalist on his back and submit him, personally I think he will get him on his back and control the fight but I don't think that he will defeat him, Bibiano has a great Jiu Jitsu game which will be the difference when it goes to the ground. There are too many unanswered questions about Joe Warren for me to place my prediction with him at this point he is inexperienced in the world of Mixed Martial Arts and in my opinion will be picked apart by Fernandes who will claim himself a Decision victory however it will not come easy.

Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout: Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hideo Tokoro

Hiroyuki Takaya holds an 11-6-1 record and is most well known for his stint in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) where he faced Leonard Garcia & Cub Swanson, losing in both of those bouts. Eight of his eleven victories have come by knock out with the other three coming via Decision, since leaving WEC Takaya has defeated both Jong Won Kim & Yoshiro Maeda which has taken him to the Semi-Finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix.

Hideo Tokoro holds a 22-16-1 record with victories over Royler Gracie,Shinya Sato, Alexandre Franca Nogueira and even a draw with Royce Gracie. Fourteen of his fights have ended with a submission with six decisions and two knock outs to his name also, in his last fight he defeated Abel Cullum to advance to the Semi-Finals.

Throughout the DREAM Tournaments we are yet to see a Japanese winner crowned, there was plenty of hype and pressure behind Hayato Sakurai to capture the Welterweight Grand Prix however Marius Zaromskis had something to say about that, provided that we don't get any injuries and the winner of the reserve bout isn't called in we are guaranteed to have a Japanese fighter in the finals of this tournament.

Tokoro needs to take Takaya to the ground and keep him there, he can't exchange with the heavy handed Takaya if he wants to stay in this fight for very long. Takaya has a clear edge in the stand-up department and will most likely use that to collect himself an early KO victory in the first marathon round.

Super Hulk Tournament Semi-Final Bout: Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Hong Man Choi holds a 2-2 MMA record with his only losses coming to two of the best Heavyweights of all time in Fedor Emelianenko & Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic, he has one victory via submission and one victory via knock out, at this stage he is coming off a dominate victory over Ex-Baseball star Jose Canseco.

Ikuhisa Minowa holds a 42-30-8 record for a grand total of 80 fights to his name, he holds victories over Don Frye, Phil Baroni & Kimo Leopoldo over his career with twenty-seven submissions, six knock outs and eight decisions to his name, in his last fight he defeated the giant Bob Sapp despite almost 150 pound weight difference.

I think that if Minowa is able to sustain the onslaught from the beginning that Hong Man Choi will bring then he shouldn't have too much trouble getting past Choi, Minowa is very good fighting guys who are a lot bigger than him like Sapp, Yvel or Kimo so I don't think Choi will pose much of a threat to Minowa who will likely submit him in the first round.

Super Hulk Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Bob Sapp

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou holds a 6-3 record with victories over the likes of Ricardo Arona & Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, five of his six victories have come via knock out with the other coming via decision. Sokoudjou is most well known for his stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) where he went 1-2, in his last fight he appalled the viewing audience with his post fight actions after he defeated Jan Nortje he continued to strike Nortje even after the referee had jumped in between the two.

Bob Sapp holds a 10-5-1 MMA record and is one of the most recognizable MMA fighters in Japan, he holds victories over Min-Soo Kim & Yoshihiro Takayama and has stopped seven of his ten fights using his heavy hands with two decisions and one submission to his name also, he is currently on a two fight losing streak to Ikuhisa Minowa & Bobby Lashley.

Strikeforce's Light-Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi defeated Mark Hunt in the first round of the DREAM Super-Hulk Tournament however due to an injury likely sustained in an Exhibition Sparring Match with #1 ranked Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko he was forced out of the fight with Sokoudjou and Bob Sapp stepped in as his replacement.

Again much like the Choi/Minowa fight, Sokoudjou will have to sustain a rush of fury that will come from The Beast however after that initial burst of fury from Sapp if Sokoudjou is still on his feet then Sapp will likely gas and won't be quick enough to stop a rush of strikes from Sokoudjou so I will predict Sokoudjou to finish Sapp via TKO stoppage in the first marathon round.

The winner of the Super-Hulk Grand Prix is not determined on this card, it will be decided in December.

Lightweight Bout:  Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Melchor Manibusan

Melchor Manibusan holds a 2-3 record with one submission and one decision to his name, to date he is yet to have any notable victories but a win over Tatsuya Kawajiri would open a lot of eyes. He has not fought since 2006 when he last lost to Artur Oumakhanov.

Tatsuya Kawajiri holds a 24-5-2 record with wins over the likes of Joachim Hansen & Vitor Ribeiro, ten of his victories have come via knock out with seven decisions & six submissions also. He is currently on a two fight win-streak with victories over Ross Ebanez & Gesias Calvancante.

I suspect this fight to be heavily one sided, Kawajiri is a Top Ranked Lightweight in the world right now and Manibusan hasn't fought in almost three years and has no notable victories to his name, Manibusan has been knocked out twice in his career and I predict this will be number three. Kawajiri has great hands and once he mounts Manibusan and utilizes his Ground n' Pound the fight will be as good as over and put him right in the mix for a title shot at the winner of our main event.

DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix Final Bout: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Now this is a match-up which may not take place because each fighter has to get past his initial opponent first but as a hypothetical scenario I will make my predictions for the finals for if it went exactly as I predicted.

When it comes to tournament fighting and when an opponent has fought previously in the night it comes down to who took the more punishment and who had the longer fight for the most part, if my predictions were to come true Takaya would be the fresher opponent and Fernandes would be exhausted after a long fifteen minutes with a Greco-Roman Wrestling Gold Medalist.

From the sounds of that, the likely choice would be to pick Takaya to use his good hands to keep this standing and finish the fight via TKO stoppage but I will go against the grain and predict Fernandes to take Takaya to the ground and control the fight from there, Takaya has only been submitted once by Genki Sudo but I think that Bibiano could use his Jiu Jitsu game to submit the Japanese prospect and crush the hopes of yet another Japanese audience.

DREAM Lightweight Championship Bout:  Joachim Hansen (c) vs. Shinya Aoki

Joachim Hansen holds a 19-7-1 record with victories over the likes of Caol Uno, Kazuyuki Miyata and even his opponent Shinya Aoki, he holds seven knock out victories, seven decisions and five submission victories and is currently riding a two fight win streak.

Shinya Aoki holds a 21-4-0 record with victories over Vitor Ribeiro, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno, as well as Joachim Hansen, twelve of his victories have come via decision with six decisions and one knock out to his name also, in his last fight he defeated fellow submission specialist Vitor Ribeiro via decision.

As stated earlier each holds a victory over the other coming into their third fight which makes it that much more interesting, the first time they met Aoki submitted Hansen via gogoplata in Pride and last July when they met Hansen defeated Aoki via TKO stoppage, so both men have fought each other and know each others game well.

I think that they both know the others game plan and will be aware of that coming into their third fight, where the fight goes is the deciding factor when it comes to this fight since Aoki has a distinct edge on the ground and Hansen is much better on the feet so most would predict for this one to end in the first round just as their previous two battles did but I predict this one to go the distance with Aoki coming out on top, he will have trouble when on the feet but once he gets him to the ground he will beable to do enough to scrape out a decision.

DREAM 11 airs on Oct. 6 on HDnet and if you get it in your area I strongly suggest you check this one out.

Saturday's UFC 103 marked the end of a run that saw the organization roll out three pay-per-view events, an Ultimate Fight Night and the debut of The Ultimate Fighter in the span of eight weeks.

A yeoman-like effort even for the biggest name in the business, the UFC enters the fall with a five-week respite before Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua take to the cage for UFC 104 in Los Angeles.

Calm down; the world isn't going to end just because the UFC is on hiatus.

In fact, this is a golden opportunity to expand your horizons and step outside the Ultimate Fighting Championships bubble for a couple of weeks and get acquainted with some of the other fighters and organizations in Mixed Martial Arts.

Yes, there are other organizations besides the UFC.

Japanese organization World Victory Road is first up in this UFC-less stretch, as Sengoku Tenth Battle takes place on Sept. 23 from the Saitama Super Arena.

Headlining the show is Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, the former EliteXC Heavyweight Champion who earlier this summer stated that a win here would put him into a November title fight with fellow steroid abuser Josh Barnett.

While Silva may be the biggest name on the card, look for Nick Thompson and Dan Hornbuckle to put on the best performance. Thompson is a talented veteran of just about every organization to ever exist, while Hornbuckle is coming off a vicious head kick knockout of Akihiro Gono.

Two days later, Strikeforce rolls out the third installment of its Challenger series. In addition to the Strikeforce debut of Ray Sefo, rising prospect Tyron Woodley looks to extend his winning streak to four against veteran Zach Light.

In the main event, undefeated Zak Cummings takes his 10-0 record into the cage to face Tim Kennedy, the former Army Ranger who returned to full-time fighting in June with a win over the aforementioned Nick Thompson.

Canada gets involved in the action early in October with the most UFC-friendly card on the calender, as Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC) 22 lands in Edmonton loaded with recognizable names.

For those fawning for fighters they know, MFC 22 offers UFC veterans like Marvin Eastman, David Heath, and Pete Spratt, as well TUF 4 winner Travis Lutter taking on Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald.

What is more impressive is that none of these name brand fighters make the main event, as that honor goes to MFC Lightweight Champion Antonio "Mandingo" McKee and Brazilian Carlo Prater.

McKee is riding an eight-fight winning streak and hasn't lost since a 2003 decision to Karo Parisyan, while Prater is a veteran of more than 30 fights and holds wins over Spencer Fisher, Melvin Guillard, and Carlos Condit.

As entertaining as each of those cards will surely be, the real week to watch for is the first week of October, as championship action takes to the ring on Oct. 6 with DREAM 11 before the rescheduled WEC 43 lands in San Antonio for Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson.

Honestly, DREAM 11 has the opportunity to be one of the best fight cards of the year. In addition to the semifinals of the Super Hulk tournament and the final two rounds of the 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix, the highly-anticipated rematch between Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen and "The Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki will finally take place.

This fight will mark Hansen's return to the ring after recovering from various injuries, and he will do so against the last man he faced, Aoki.

After earning the right to serve as the injury replacement in the 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix, Hansen subbed for Eddie Alvarez in the finals of the event when the Philadelphia native couldn't continue following his win over tournament favorite Tatsuya Kawajiri.

The Norwegian capitalized, stopping Aoki before the five-minute mark of the first round, capturing the DREAM Lightweight Championship in the process.

While Hansen hasn't set foot in the ring since, Aoki has won four of five fights, most recently scoring a Unanimous Decision over Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. Finally, after 15 months of waiting, the submission specialist will finally get his chance for redemption.

Four days later, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Ben "Smooth" Henderson will finally wage war for the WEC Interim Lightweight title at WEC 43.

In addition to determining a new champion in the absence of the injured Jamie Varner, WEC 43 offers the usual assortment of exciting fights and emerging talent that has become synonymous with the brand.

Fear not, faithful followers of the UFC, despite the fact that the best in the business won't be back with a vengeance until seven days before Halloween, it doesn't mean that MMA has gone off the grid.

There is a wealth of quality events taking place before Dana White and company return.

Do yourself a favor and catch some of the outstanding action that is set to take place outside the walls of the UFC.

UFC is MMA, but MMA is not UFC; expand your horizons and try something new.

Chances are you'll like it.

Gegard Mousasi Out of Super-Hulk, Other Notes from Press Conference

Rumors began yesterday and were confirmed today by DREAM officials that MMA Standout and tournament favorite Gegard Mousasi was officially out of the tournament due to an injury.

M-1 officials gave no details on what Gegard Mousasi injured or how long it will be before we see Mousasi fight again. However, it is being speculated that the injury was suffered during the exhibition match with Fedor Emelianenko at M-1 Breakthrough.

DREAM is currently in the process of searching for a replacement opponent for new tournament favorit Sokoudjou. They stated that those eliminated in the first round will have first dibs on being the replacement opponent. 

In other DREAM news, “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante will be in action on the Oct. 6th card against Daisuke Nakamura in a battle on lightweights. “JZ” is coming off losses to Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri and is looking to bounce back in spectacular fashion. Cavalcante originally called out Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez but he is unable to partake in the festivities because of his Bellator contract. 

The Current DREAM 11 Card looks like this:

· Champ Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki (for DREAM lightweight title)

· Featherweight grand prix finale 

· Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante vs. Daisuke Nakamura

· Bibiano Fernanders vs. Joe Warren (Featherweight Grand-Prix Semifinal)

· Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Hideo Tokoro (Featherweight Grand-Prix Semifinal)

· Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (featherweight Grand-Prix Reserve Bout)

· Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (Super-Hulk Semifinal)

· Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. TBA (Super-Hulk Semifinal)

2009 has been a watershed year for Strikeforce and Scott Coker. It began with Coker negotiating successfully to purchase fighter contracts, fight library, and a broadcast contract with CBS/Showtime from the now defunct EliteXC.

And of course, the big news today that Fedor Emelianenko has signed with Strikeforce for a multi-fight contract. That is certainly big news since it means the Last Emperor will not be relegated to no-name fights in Japan.

It also is the latest in a calculated sequence of events that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has orchestrated that puts Strikeforce near the pinnacle of the sport's promotions.

He has not only acquired the contracts of big-time fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Gina Carano, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Gegard Mousasi, Fabricio Werdum, Jay Hieron, Rafael Feijao Cavalcante and Roger Gracie to bolster an already solid fighter roster, but has also developed fighters such as Brett Rogers, Billy Evangelista, and Joey Villasenor into legitimate contenders.

He has expanded the base of the promotion out of its San Jose home into Colorado, Washington, and St. Louis, Missouri. In June the company announced that the August 15th main event will be the first Female championship bout in MMA history, with the two female superstars of the sport "Cyborg" Santos vs Gina Carano squaring off in a much anticipated matchup. 

Strikeforce is now in a position to be on major network television through the deal Coker signed with CBS/Showtime.  He has marketable mainstream superstars in Cung Le, Frank Shamrock, and Josh "the Punk" Thomson as the "core" of his talent pool.

Coker stepped in and saved another Affliction casualty by signing little known but very talented Gegard Mousasi and moving his fight against Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral to the August card as a title defense for Sobral.  Also the first Strikeforce Welterweight title will be decided that same night.

He has done a masterful job of obtaining and promoting fighters to become viable fighters that are marketable to the public.  Now he has put the icing on the cake by ending the media frenzy around Fedor Emelianenko's abrupt free-agency.

His willingness to co-promote with Dream, Sengoku, Affliction, and now M-1 Global has given his fighters a unique ability to pursue their own fighting interests.  Sometimes that might backfire when his champions (Cung Le and Alistair Overeem) go long periods without a title defense, but it also means that he can offer a more fighter friendly environment to draw better fighters to his promotion.

With some crafty matchmaking, a heavyweight fight for Fedor in the autumn of 2009 would make sense and possibly could be for an "interim" Strikeforce belt.  After that a unification fight between the interim winner and Alistair Overeem would also produce alot of interest. Then, of course, is up-and-coming heavyweight Brett Rogers.  Other heavyweights that Strikeforce can fit into the mix would be super-prospect Roger Gracie, veterans Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel, Paul Buentello, Mike Kyle, and possibly Sergei Kharitonov. 

But there are other very intriguing options in addition to those mentioned; submission expert Jeff Monson is a top 15 heavyweight, he has two fights in different promotions on the horizon including a rematch against Pedro Rizzo.  Additionally, K-1 star Jerome le Banner who has been rumored to be interested in fighting MMA again.

But the most intriguing option could be realized at the end of August, after UFC 102.  If Randy Couture's contract with the UFC is indeed fulfilled after his fight with Big Nog, will he then sign a fight contract to give the fans the matchup with Fedor that has been on Christmas lists for so long it has been forgotten?

All-in-all Coker has done a fine job navigating the treacherous waters of MMA promotions over the tumultuous year.  If he can retain the elite fighters that are with Strikeforce now (read Jake Shields) and build on the depth of the roster, Strikeforce could certainly be in prime position to see its brand at the forefront of the MMA sports pages.

Ah, tournament fighting.

The system that was the foundation for the original incarnation of the UFC and remains a staple of both World Victory Road's Sengoku events and DREAM's fight cards as well, this morning's results from the Featherweight Grand Prix illustrate why having multiple fights in the same night is challenging for both the fighter and the organization.

In one of the semi-finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix, Hatsu Hioki earned a hard-fought victory over Masanori Kanehara, dominating the first two rounds before tiring in the third.

However, Hioki was unable to continue in the tournament and Kanehara was put through to the finals where he ended up defeating Michihiro Omigawa to be crowned the 2009 Featherweight Champion.

Of course, this is far from the first time something like this has happened.

During last year's DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix, Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen lost his semi-final match to Eddie Alvarez in one of 2008's Fight of Year contenders, only to replace the Philadelphia-based fighter in the finals against Shinya Aoki when Alvarez sustained a cut in his win over Tatsuya Kawajiri.

From there, the Norwegian defeated "The Tobikan Judan" to claim the DREAM Lightweight title. At least Hansen won a fight to earn the right to replace Alvarez. UFC 3 winner Steve Jennum was just in the right place at the right time.

You remember UFC 3, don't you?

Royce Gracie battled Kimo in a tough ground war, leaving himself dehydrated and unable to continue. Harold Howard earned his place in the history books as the first man to "beat" Royce Gracie and advanced to the finals where he was supposed to face Ken Shamrock.

Only problem was, once Gracie was unable to continue, Shamrock had no interest in continuing either. His sole purpose in taking part in UFC 3 was to avenge his loss to Gracie from UFC 1 and when that couldn't happen, Shamrock withdrew as well, leaving the door open for Steve Jennum.

The Nebraska police officer made Howard tap to strikes and claimed the UFC 3 tournament title without having had to fight a sole for the opportunity, which prompted the UFC to change the rules to avoid a similar situation ever happening again.

While I understand the drama and tremendous show of athleticism and conditioning competing in multiple fights on the same evening takes, the possibility of results like these leave me questioning the value of such a practice.

Earlier this year, Bellator's tournament format went off without a hitch, as all the winners managed to emerge from their fights without serious injury and able to continue in the next round.

Hypothetically speaking, if Eddie Alvarez had sustained an injury in his first round fight, he would have had four weeks to recuperate, instead of simply being replaced by a fighter he had just defeated or an alternate.

To me, if tournaments are the way you want to go, the Bellator setup is much more favorable to the fighters than the two fights in the same night method used in Japan.

But that's just me.

What do you think?

E. Spencer Kyte is a freelance MMA journalist who pens his daily blog Keyboard Kimura, as well as contributing to Watch Kalib Run and MMA Ratings. Follow him on Twitter or receive daily news and information through his Facebook Fan Page. He can be reached at spencerkyte@hotmail.com.

DREAM 10 took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan this morning in front of a packed house of nearly 20,000 fans. The card delivered exciting action from beginning to end and produced more than a few shocking upsets to keep fans on the edge of their seats. 

1. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Tarec Seffiedine

The DEEP Welterweight Champion Seichi Ikemoto took on Team Quest’s Tarec Seffiedine in what was an exciting stand-up encounter to start off the night. Despite numerous attempts at his infamous double punches and axe handle smashes, Ikemoto proved unsuccessful in trying to fend off the attack of Seffiedine. 

The Bulgarian Seffiedine dominated the stand-up game and used his wrestling to dictate the pace of the fight. In the dying minutes, Seffiedine took the fight to the ground and was able to mount. Ikemoto was able to fend off the attack in the final minutes but by this point it was too late and Seffiedine took the unanimous decision. 

With this victory, Seffiedine became the first Bulgarian to ever win a mixed martial arts fan in Japan. 

What’s Next?

Seffiedine looked impressive in his first performance on the big stage. He is a much better striker that most of the fighters we see out of Team Quest. If he continues to work on his killer instinct and his ability to put together combinations, he could be a dominant force at Welterweight. 

Welterweight Grand-Prix Semi Final #1

2. Hayato Sakurai vs. Marios Zaromskis 

Sakurai came into this fight and the tournament as the heavy favorite to win it all, but as we found out, Marios Zaromskis had other plans. Sakurai looked good early landing solid straight punches every time Zaromskis moved in to strike however the fight quickly took a turn for the worse after two nasty cuts opened up around the left eye of Sakurai. 

The cuts opened up quickly and bled heavily, but luckily the referees let the fight continue.

Zaromskis came out with a new intensity in his eyes and put the pressure on Sakurai faking with an overhand left and landing a head kick which put Sakurai on another planet in what could be a contender for knockout of the year.

What’s Next?

Zaromskis considerably raised his stock with this knockout of the Japanese Superstar. He showed an ability to know when to push the pace and when to hold back which is an important part of developing into a great fighter. Zaromskis has the stand-up skills to compete with anyone DREAM has to offer however his ground skills need a lot of work. Luckily, Sakurai did not test this skill and Zaromskis made himself an overnight sensation in Japan.

Michael Schiavello quote of the fight: “This fight has more crosses than the Vatican!”

Welterweight Grand-Prix Semi Final #2

3. Andre Galvao vs. Jason High

Despite only having three fights under his belt (black belt that is), Galvao came in as a heavy favorite to defeat High. Galvao showed early that despite his training with Rafael Cavalcante and Anderson Silva, he still has a long ways to go in terms of stand up and got rocked with a straight from High. High was able to avoid numerous submission attempts including a deep leg lock and rear naked choke to survive the first. 

In the second High pushed the pace using his wrestling to keep the fight off of the mat and his striking to nullify Galvao, in the end winning a very close split decision. 

After the fight it was clear that Galvao was upset with the decision as he left the ring immediately before returning to congratulate his opponent. 

What’s Next?

Galvao has the ground tools to someday dominate DREAM’s welterweight division but as High showed us, he has a lot of holes which need to be filled in before any such event will take place. Continuous training with the most feared striker on the planet in Anderson Silva will make Andre Galvao into a serious force to be reckoned with.

Jason High showed a lot of resilience and heart throughout the first round of the fight by being able to hold on in submission holds, which looked near impossible to escape. The Japanese promotions and their fans appreciate the heart of a fighter almost as much as their win loss record so don’t be surprised to see High in a DREAM ring again sometime soon.  

Michael Schiavello quote(s) of the fight: “More chokes than the Heimlich Maneuver”

“Mounted more times than Jenna Haze”  

4. Andre Dida vs. Katsunori Kikuno

Despite a great video showing Kikuno’s solid boxing skills and ability to dominate opponents, few gave the DEEP Lightweight Champion a chance against the K-1 level striker in Andre Dida. To go along with the theme of upsets however, Kikuno pulled off another improbable win by baiting Dida into his game and eventually getting him down for the ground and pound victory. 

Kikuno came out with a smile that “could make a stripper nervous” and his head held high in what looked like a calling for Dida to knock him out. He moved slow early, to the point where the “Grandparents from Willy Wonka move more with him” but this was simply a trick to lure Dida into his trap and put him down with some of the most vicious ground and pound seen all year. 

What’s Next?

In his post-fight speech, Kikuno announced his interest in returning to DREAM and continuing to face big name opponents, more specifically he called out the #2 ranked fighter in the lightweight division, Shinya Aoki. It is unlikely that DREAM would grant such a request without Kikuno putting together a few more victories, but that big goofy smile and chimpanzee style stance might be enough to win over the Japanese fans. 

5. Paulo Filho vs. Melvin Manhoef

Next up was the Middleweight match many of the hardcore fans had been anticipating. Paulo Filho returned to action after a bout with depression and painkillers, not to mention one of the most bizarre fights in history against Chael Sonnen, to take on one of the most vicious middleweights in the world today in Melvin Manhoef. 

Filho was punished early with Manhoef’s powerful, yet fast hands and after a knee to the head, Filho was literally on the ropes. For a few moments, it looked as though Paulo Filho had not returned to old form

However, Filho survived the early onslaught and was able to get Manhoef to the mat. From here, it took only a few short seconds to wrap Manhoef up and catch him in the all too familiar arm-bar. 

What’s next?

Filho looked phenomenal in his showing against Manhoef and if this is a sign of things to come, it will not be long until Filho is once again in the top rankings in the world. The demons he previously had fought appear to be toppled for now.

Manhoef needs to work his ground game and it was never more evident than in this fight. When Filho got a hold of the arm, he had little idea what to do and it was only a matter of seconds before Manhoef was submitted. Everyone knows about his impressive strength and stand-up game; if he could add a ground game to compliment his other areas, Manhoef could as well approach the top of the heap at middleweight. 

6. Dong-Sik Yoon vs. Jesse Taylor

Despite the fight only lasting approximately a minute due to a broken ankle for Yoon, Taylor looked impressive. He imposed his will throughout the short fight in similar fashion to the other Team Quest members we have watched over the years. 

What’s Next?

Despite a losing record, Yoon is widely considered a good fighter in Japan. It will be interesting to see what this does for Jesse Taylor’s career and whether or not this performance will earn him another chance in DREAM. 

7. Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor Ribiero 

The “grappling match of the year” turned out to be exactly the opposite of what everyone had expected and rather resembled an amateur kickboxing match. As is common when two fighters of the same discipline meet, their ground skills cancelled each other out and this became a standup fight immediately. 

Aoki showed massively improved kicks and even a nice Muay-Thai clinch throughout the fight but was unable to finish Ribiero. Aoki won the fight via unanimous decision. When Aoki asked the fans what they thought of his Muay-Thai skills he was greeted with resounding boo’s from the crowd. It is clear they prefer when the Tobikan Judan takes it to the mat.

What’s Next?

Aoki made it clear after the fight what his plans are for the rest of the year. He made official an October 6th fight against current DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim Hansen (the third fight between the two, with both winning one of the previous encounters) and a New Years Eve Dynamite fight against Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. These fights should both prove to be exciting fights and draw large audiences for DREAM. 

Welterweight Grand-Prix Final

8. Marius Zaromskis vs. Jason High

When I previously mentioned that the victory over Sakurai made him a hit in Japan overnight, I’m sure winning the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in Japan’s Welterweight Championship did not hurt either. That’s right, the heavy underdog Zaromskis was able to shock the world and take the Welterweight crown.

The fight started with the combatants exchanging strikes with Zaromskis starting to get the better of it before landing a massive head kick which knocked Jason High into next week….maybe even next year. It’s odd that a fighter expected to lose decisively in a tournament comes out and delivers two knock out of the year contenders in the same night but that’s exactly what Zaromskis has done. 

What’s Next?

It will be interesting to see what DREAM can offer Zaromskis in the form of competition, as it is one of the weaker divisions in the promotion. Maybe Jesse Taylor’s short performance earned him a title shot or maybe Zaromskis will use the DREAM title as a springboard to bigger and better things, much like Gegard Mousasi did. 

DREAM 10 delivered one of the most exciting nights of action of the year. There was not a boring fight in the bunch as all of the fighters came out knowing how important victories are on the big stage of DREAM. The event shall be remembered as the birth of a star and the night of the upset as Zaromskis made himself a name to most mixed martial arts fans overnight.

This time last year, many fight fans were unfamiliar with an Armenian-born, Dutch fighter known as "The Dreamcatcher."

Then, Gegard Mousasi made an impressive run through the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix, defeated Denis Kang in the opening round, Korea's Dong Sik Yoon six weeks later, and finally disposing of both Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in one night to win the tournament and the DREAM Middleweight title.

Since then, the 23-year-old has continued to impress and garner more and more attention, earning a win in the first round of the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament and a place opposite Renato "Babalu" Sobral on the Affliction: Trilogy Main Card on Aug. 1.

With his impressive display last evening in the Saitama Super Arena, is Marius Zaromskis set to make a similar splash in the world of Mixed Martial Arts?

The Lithuanian with the funny-yet-fitting nickname "The Whitemare" has followed the first steps laid out by Mousasi, working his way through the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix en route to claiming the DREAM Welterweight title.

Admittedly, I was one of the many without much knowledge of Zaromskis heading into yesterday's two rounds of fights, and believed he would be dispatched by the more experienced Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in their semifinal clash.

Following a stoppage to deal with a cut on Sakurai's face, Zaromskis delivered a deadly headkick and dropped the man who once faced Matt Hughes in the UFC before finishing things off with a flurry of punches.

In the finals, a similar lethal headkick spelled the end for Jason High, who had advanced via split decision victory over then-undefeated Andre Galvao.

While the path looks similar to the course charted last year by Mousasi, the impressive finishes via deadly kicks to the head is reminiscent of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Despite my use of headkicks as finishers on UFC Undisputed, you just don't see that many fighters utilizing the technique that much any more and no one has ever done it better than "Cro Cop" during his glory days in Pride.

Last night, Zaromskis delivered knockout blows to both Sakurai and High with expert timing, the MMA-equivalent of two no-doubt home runs in baseball, especially the one that wrapped up the tournament against High.

You never know where you're going to find great fighters; sometimes they just suddenly appear on the radar.

Winning streaks start in the most inauspicious ways.

Nothing is guaranteed for Marius Zaromskis now that he's the DREAM Welterweight Champion; while the path he's now embarking on is similar to that of Gegard Mousasi and his performances last night reminded fans of a younger, smaller "Cro Cop," this could be the highlight of his career.

Or it could be the beginning of something great.

Only time will tell.

* * * * * * * * * *

In other DREAM news, "The Old" Paulo Filho showed up, as the Brazilian weathered a couple of flurries from Melvin Manhoef before securing an armbar before the three minute mark of the First Round.

Hey, welcome to another set of MMA predictions, this time for DREAM.10, The Welterweight GP Final Round.

It's a card that has great value betting on underdogs, but due to UFC 100, seems to have been forgotten around here. Well, here's a step to remedy this.

All tips given in decimal form, the return based on putting down €1.00/$1.00/£1.00. E.g., 1.45 means that for every 1.00 you place you get 0.45 in return, along with your original 1.00.

All lines taken from Bodog.

Dong Sik Yoon vs. Jesse 'JT Money' Taylor
(84kg/185lbs)



Dong Sik Yoon
4-6-0

South Korea

+Judoka who won gold in 1994 Asian Games (78kg), 1997 Asian Championships (78kg), 2000 Asian Championships (90kg), and 2001 East Asian Games (2001)
+Good heart
+Good chin

-Judo skills have not transitioned well, struggles with takedowns more than expected
-Never gained any good striking ability








Jesse Taylor
11-3-0

USA

+Good ground and pound
+Good wrestling
+Relentless takedowns

-One dimensional
-Gives up positions










Analysis:

The best 4-6 fighter around, Yoon has been consistently tested against top competition (Sakuraba, Mousasi, Nakahara) and had mixed results. He is always dangerous in top position, and can pull off a 'dongbar' in a flash.

Taylor's biggest fight was against CB Dollaway, which he lost by Peruvian Necktie (not to be confused with a Colombian Necktie). Taylor has a weakness with grappling, so Yoon should have a decisive grappling advantage here when the fight hits the ground, regardless of whether he's on top or on bottom.

My Take:

Yoon by arm-, I mean dongbar, Round 1. Yoon enters at 1.44, and Taylor enters at 2.75, so while being heavy favourite, Yoon should not be in too much danger here. Taylor will hardly KO him and won't submit him, obviously. Doubt he'll grind out a decision either.







Melvin 'Marvelous' Manhoef vs. Paulo 'Ely' Filho
(84kg/185lbs)


Melvin Manhoef
23-5-1

The Netherlands

+Nightmarish KO power
+Extremely experienced K-1 kickboxer

-Ground game is non existent
-Wrestling is terrible











Paulo Filho
16-1-0

Brazil

+Extremely decorated Jiu Jitsu black belt
+Black belt in judo
+Persistent in trying to bring fight to the ground

-May have mental lingering issues
-Weak takedown shots
-Average striking








Notable Wins:
Kazuo Misaki (2006)


Analysis:

Stays standing, Manhoef. Ground, Filho. Simple, but is Filho's wrestling good enough to take this to the mat? That I'm not sure about, if Filho focuses this should really be his, if he starts seeing ghosts again Manhoef will make him one.

Manhoef was never really committed to MMA, and when he got subbed by Mousasi he complained about Mousasi not having balls enough to stand with him. Don't expect him to ever have a good sprawl.

Filho is committed, and if he's worked out his mental issues he could be a nightmare matchup for Manhoef...like anyone with a wrestling background and submission skill are.


My Take:

Filho by sub, Round 1, minute 1. I don't believe Black House would let him fight again unless he was fit. Filho is at 1.74, Manhoef at 2.05, but I still prefer the Brazilian.



Katsunori Kikuno vs. Andre 'Dida' Amade
(70kg/154lbs)

Katsunori Kikuno
11-1-0

Japan

+Extremely prestigious career in Kyokushin Karate
+Judo background
+Transitions between striking/clinching fluid
+Aggressive ground and pound
+Very confident striker

-Striking defense not tight-Takedowns not hard to stuff
-Not a submission artist

Andre Amade
6-3-1

Brazil

+Wicked power punches
+Fast puncher that throws punches in bunches that have a good chance of overwhelming the opponent in classic Chute Boxe style
+Decent takedown defense
+Good defensive guard

-Wild style may cause him to run out of energy
-Bad grappler
-Open to counterstriking
-Left and right hooks are his primary combinations







Analysis:

Textbook striking vs. aggressive assault. This is difficult to call. Kikuno has an extensive Kyokushin pedigree; his titles include: 1st place in an All-Kyushu Tournament and 1st place in an All-Kansai Tournament, both of which were openweight tournaments.

Dida looks to have a considerable height and reach advantage, and is more tested against top competition, but hasn't fought in more than a year. Kikuno, however, is on an eight-fight winning streak, albeit against sub-par competition.

My Take:

Leaning towards Dida by TKO, Round 1. Kikuno is not a counterstriker like Machida, who is impossible to hit; he comes forward, and I think this will play to Amade's game.

Amade enters at 2.45, and Kikuno enters at 1.57, so there is great value on Amade.

Shinya 'Tobikan Judokan' Aoki vs. Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro
(70kg/154lbs)



Shinya Aoki
20-4-0-1

Japan

+Jiu Jitsu and Judo black belt
+Can always get a fight to the ground, through orthodox and unorthodox methods
+Very good rubber guard that is difficult to GnP against

-Poor striking
-Sub par ground and pound






Notable Wins:
Eddie Alvarez (2008)
Caol Uno (2008)
Gesias Calvancante (2008)
Joachim Hansen (2006)





Vitor Ribeiro
20-2-0

Brazil

+Marvelous grappling quality; came 3rd in ADCC 2003 and made it to the quarter finals in ADCC 2000, both times in the 66-76kg division
+Strong takedowns

-Bad striker
-Weak ground and pound








Notable Wins:
Mitsuhiro Ishida (2004)
Joachim Hansen (2003)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (2002)

Analysis:

This is one of the most difficult matchups for Aoki in the lightweight division, perhaps the hardest with the exception of BJ Penn.

Shaolin probably has better grappling than Aoki, a one-dimensional grappler. In fact, Shaolin has the best grappling credentials in the lightweight division, due to his performances in ADCC 2003 and ADCC 2000.

It's not hopeless for Aoki. His BJJ is good enough to prevent him from being subbed, and to try for submissions himself, but he won't submit Ribeiro.

Their striking would be on a similar level, and their takedown defenses are not good enough to keep this a sloppy striking match. Aoki's best chance of winning this is by taking initiative, taking Shaolin down and using GnP and attempting submissions with hope of earning a decision.

My Take:

Shaolin wins by decision, his grappling just being too much for Aoki to handle; one-dimensionalism not paying off yet again. The odds for this fight are insane; Aoki is 1.50 to Shaolin's 2.60. Betting on Shaolin offers crazy value.


Andre Galvao vs. Jason High
(76kg/168lbs)


André Galvao
3-0-0

Brazil

+Mundials winner at 79-85kg in 2008 and 73-79kg in 2005
+Transitioned from gi grappling to no-gi grappling smoothly
+Trains at Black House with the best the world has to offer
+Very persistent with takedowns

-Not used any ground and pound
-Never been hit in competition
-Weak takedowns






Jason High
7-1-1

USA

+Natural athleticism
+Slick submissions
+Big hitter

-Striking combinations very basic
-Chin may be questionable









Analysis:

Jason High is athletic, and packs power. He might be one of the tougher challenges Galvao faces in the GP. However, if Galvao swarms him every chance he gets, and does everything he can to get High to the ground, it should only be a matter of time before a submission.

High is no slouch on the ground himself, his submission of Yuya Shirai fresh in mind, but Galvao is something else entirely. High is going to need to dance away from Galvao, and try to blast him with a power shot.

My Take:

Galvao by sub is the most likely outcome, High can't afford to let this one hit the mat for a minute. I don't think this will last beyond Round 1.

High is at 4.00, and Galvao is at 1.20, so if your betting on this fight alone, might be better to go for High, but Galvao is 4.00 to win the GP, and that isn't bad. High is 6.00 to win the GP.



Hayato 'Mach' Sakurai vs. Marius 'Raging Demon' Zaromskis
(76kg/168lbs)


Hayato Sakurai
35-8-2

Japan

+Powerful ground and pound
+ADCC winner in 1999
+Versatile kickboxer
+Extremely experienced

-Past his prime
-Motivation on and off
-Not light on his feet
-Keeps his gloves to low to defend strikes







Notable Wins:
Shinya Aoki (2009)
Joachim Hansen (2005)
Shinya Aoki (2005)
Frank Trigg (2000)




Marius Zaromskis
9-2-0

Lithuania

+Powerful kickboxer
+Makes great use of flying knees, backkicks and highkicks
+Fast on his feet
+Good ground and pound

-No grappling used so far
-Not that hard to take down when clinched with






Analysis:

This could be closer than people think. Zaromskis is a more powerful hitter than Sakurai and is faster and more versatile. I could see Sakurai getting KO'd if this stays standing, but with Zaromskis having been taken down by Ikemoto, Sakurai can do the same, but much better.

But don't forget how Gomi mauled Sakurai. If this stays standing, look for Zaromskis to spring an upset.

My Take:

Sakurai by submission, Round 2. Marius has an advantage striking but Sakurai is a better all rounder. That said, Sakurai is 1.15, and Zaromskis is 5.75.

Don't bet on Sakurai, even his odds to win the tournament outright are disgusting, at 1.67. Zaromskis comes in at an astonishing 12.00 to win outright, worth a small play.



Bonus pick: Andre Galvao vs. Hayato Sakurai

If High or Zaromskis win, ignore this. Sakurai is the worst matchup for Galvao, having an excellent submission defense good kickboxing and a decent sprawl. Galvao is one dimensional, but like Maia and Jacaré, that one dimension is so good.

Galvao trains at Black House, you know, Machida, Anderson, Nogueira, Jacaré...those guys. I think if he comes in with a good gameplan and refuses to do anything other than take Sakurai down, the same Sakurai who was submitted by Baron not long ago, this match should be his.

But Sakurai will be hard to control, probably being able to escape many submission attempts and repel many takedown shots, and threaten Galvao every minute with striking.

My Take:

Andre Galvao by submission, Round 2, becoming the first ever DREAM welterweight champion, pulling off a huge upset in the process.



Recap on GP odds to win outright

Marius Zaromskis
12.00

Hayato Sakurai
1.67

Andre Galvao
4.00

Jason High
6.00

Other (Seichi Ikemoto/Tarec Saffiedine)
6.00

From this Croatian news site, translated by someone on the Sherdog forums.

"ZAGREB - The same Saturday night in which Mirko Filipović in only three minutes TKOed Britain Mostapha Al Turk, President of American Organization UFC Dana White without any argument accused the Croatian master of the ultimat fighting for the fraud and hypocrisy.

"Ten days ago Dana White and Cro Cop have a phone made arrangements for the duel on the UFC 99 tournament in Cologne Lanxess Arena, leaving open the possibility that cooperation prolongs for the two further tournaments. However, the head of the UFC on Saturday felt fooled because he thought that the Croatian gladiator signed a new contract with the Japanese Dream.

"Before we accuse Cro Cop for hypocrisy, let us see what lays below Dana White's empty phrase of honor. UFC leader is angry because Mirko, just as Fedor Emilianenko, the best MMA fighter in the world, did not agree to perform only twice in the next 12 months.

"However, it is not true that Cro Cop signed with Dream. We have learned that Mirko Cro Cop still did not sign neither with Dream nor with UFC, and that he is ready to discuss any offer. Moreover, Mirko expected after the victory in Cologne immediate talks with Dana White about the new contract and is surprised by the accusations of UFC's president.

"I don’t know why White listened to the roumors instead of talking to me. I hoped that we will talk about a continuing of our collaboration, because the only obstacle was the long period between two fights that has been offered to me. I don’t want to sit at home so long and waiting that someone calls me for a figh. However, I am grateful to Dana White for an opportunity to fight in Cologne and despite his harsh words, I don’t see the reason that we don’t prolong the contract – explained Mirko after returning from Germany.

"White gave Cro Cop the opportunity to fight in Cologne to use his charisma of the most popular European fighter and suggested two more bouts, under the condition that he doesn’t fight for other promotions. Because Dream offered him also three-fights contract, but in the next six months, why shouldn’t Mirko take some time to consider what is better to him?"

Well, who knows what is going on now? Here's hoping they can rectify the situation. I've been reading some of your comments and have some thoughts. To begin with, I'm all for DREAM becoming the next Pride and signing big name fighters, but let's be honest—it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Fedor/Cro Cop 2 is something I would watch, but its not as intriguing as Mirko taking a run at the UFC title.

Secondly, is there a side of me that is rolling and laughing all over the floor that Dana White(possibly) got completely punk'd?

Yes, it is a little satisfying. The problem is it is not more satisfying than a career revival UFC heavyweight title run by Cro Cop.